We believe that the most interesting and necessary writing is emerging from a place that goes far beyond the traditional boundaries of nature writing or environmental writing. We believe that the kind of writing we need now is the kind of writing which delves deeply into the relationship between humans and the natural world, in these times of turmoil and ecocide. We need writing about authentic ways of living and being in a world whose systems and values are crumbling. Writing which inspires change, and which helps us to transform the stories we tell ourselves about the world and our place in it. Writing which gives us courage to defend a world in crisis. Writing which is fiery, feral, ferocious.

Sharon Blackie, Editor: EarthLines

I’m delighted to share that an article of mine has been published in the wonderful, soon to be, based-in-Ireland EarthLines magazine.

My article ‘Ecopornography versus the slow, deep art of place’ evolved from a blog post on this site and I want to thank several readers who took the time to comment on this article back then too. I had noticed EarthLines as a new magazine some years ago and thought at the time it was for real writers. While I enjoy blogging and I’m having to write academically for my art practice-theory phd I really don’t consider myself a writer, although hopefully after this tortuous thesis writing there has been some improvement.

So I was startled (and of course delighted) when EarthLines editor Sharon Blackie wrote to inquire about my blog post on ecopornography and ecocide versus slower, deeper forms of art practices that try to relate more sensitively to environments. The article in the EarthLines magazine is an extended version of my blog post and reflects more where my artful eco practice is heading now. You can buy a copy or subscribe to a paper or digital edition of EarthLines here (please note orders for the current issue will be cheaper for Irish residents when EarthLines is fully based here in the next month).

I’d also like to welcome Sharon and her husband David Knowles to Donegal in Ireland as from the next issue EarthLines will be Irish based!! Both Sharon and her husband David are fantastic writers, with extraordinary knowledge from other fields (Sharon spent several years as an academic neuroscientist/ psychologist and has since studied narrative psychology, myth- and storytelling; David is a former RAF Tornado pilot and a poet!). They are establishing a network of people who are creating thought-provoking writings, poetry and visual arts that relate honestly and courageously to the troubling times we are in. I’ve been following Sharon through her own writings and through what she shares on social media. A recent post by Sharon on the value of stories I could really identify with, in creating my own story of new resiliencies from Hollywood:

And we can see it now: the chipping away at the old meta-narrative, the different stories that some of us choose to live. It’s happening now, that transformation in the meta-narrative, and we’re a part of it. Group after group is springing up around the world – the non-defeatists, the groups that speak positively for change, for action, for getting out there and doing it differently – groups like Transition, like the Occupy movement, like Peaceful Resistance … gosh, so very many, and growing all the time. It’s happening already. But note this: we don’t change the meta-narrative by sitting around thinking up new stories. We do it by getting out there. By not only seeing in new ways, but living in new ways. By being the subjects for those stories. More than that – by being the stories. We ARE the stories. That’s how it’s always been. It’s part of the dualism that we’ve forgotten it, that we see the transformative myths and stories as something separate from us, that we can create – simply conjure up. It makes me want to weep. It isn’t like that at all. If we approach it in that way, we’re still in the old paradigm. We’re not understanding how stories work.

EarthLines is open for ‘fiery, feral, ferocious’ submissions too so I hope you check it out

On another front, some of you might recall that a year ago Hollywood was inspected as it is contributing forest research data to the Irish COFORD- Forest Council LISS (Low Impact Silviculture Systems) research project on Irish conifer plantations that are being transformed to continuous cover, non clearfell forest management systems.

Two journal publications have come out recently on the LISS project so its great to reflect how my own project, in a small way, is advancing new understandings in different fields. The joy of having an ecosophical emergent artful eco practice is that I can never predict beforehand what Hollywood will deliver next 😉 ).

Congratulations, particularly to lead author Lucie Vítková, who like myself is under-taking a PhD (in forest research) and also to foresters Paddy Purser, Pádraig Ó’Tuama (who came to inspect Hollywood with Lucie) and Áine Ní Dhubháin who is overseeing the work at UCD. I put the two papers from the Society of Irish Foresters JournalTransformation to continuous cover forestry; a review (2013) and The practice of continuous cover forestry in Ireland (2013) on the ProSilva Ireland website and they are free to download. They are academic but this is to progress this new form of forestry carefully in Ireland subject to Ireland’s own conditions.

Thanks Ana,
love the idea that I’m ‘creating a forest of new thinking’ – I’ve been thinking the way I work is more along the networking mycelial networks of fungi that support all forests but a ‘forest of new thinking’ is great too

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I explore new ideas and practices for eco-social well being by bringing art and non-art practices together in my creative practice. I also offer Ecoliteracy learning for the arts at www.haumea.site
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Through my practice and an art practice-theory PhD "The Ecological Turn", I have developed a guiding theory-method framework to articulate the context and workings of long-term eco-social art practices. These vital practices activate ecoliteracy and agency for environmental change in communities. Much of my PhD drew on my experiences and challenges, and the review of others' pioneering creative practices' that are responding to ecological concerns. My own transversal practice reflects on the transformation of the small conifer plantation that I live with, Hollywood forest, toward new-to-Ireland, Close-to-Nature forestry. I bring previous experience in biological science research and interests in environmental philosophy, policy development and ecocide-Rights of Nature law developments into the mix.
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Somehow an eco-social art practice allows me to connect and move across these various strands of interest to create a new agency for myself and the human and non-human neighbours I depend on and live with.
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Hollywood forest is the smallest Close-to-Nature forest in Ireland; its growing happily near Mt Leinster and the Blackstairs mountains in South East Ireland.